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(ModeL) O. E. WILKINSON.

MACHINE FOR SEWING STRAW BRAID.

Patented Dec.19, 1882.

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Wiz'nwsw allow the needle to penetrate that portion of die braid, the underlying or entering braid to chines for Sewing Straw Braid, which improvethat the stitches will not appear upon the CHARLES E. WILKINSON, OF FISHKILEON THE HUDSON, ASSIGNOR TO THE \Vl-LLOOX 86 GIBBS SEWING MACHINE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FOR SEWING STRAW BRAlD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,251, dated December 19, 1882;

Application filed May 22, 1882. (Modeld To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E.WILKINsoN, ofFishkill Landingon the Hudson, in the county of Dutchess and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mament is tully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to machines for sewing straw braid (or other material in strips) so outer or right side of the article made, but will be bid by the edge of an overlying braid, (or strip,)and specially to machines of this kind wherein a guide is provided for turning up the edge of the overlying or concealing braid to the braid beneath, which in the finished article is covered by the said overlying or concealing braid.

The invention comprises several features of improvement in the construction of the turning-up guide, and also in the attachment of the same to the machine, and in the arrangement with respect to and the combination with other elements of the machine. 7

During the sewing operation the machineis acting on three braids, (or overlapping portions of braid,) to wit, the braid at the outer end ot'the work, which may be called the midbe stitched to the former braid, and the overlying or concealing braid, that is turned up to allow the stitching to be performed under the edge thereof. The seam is run preterablyjust. within the edge of the overlying or concealing braid and as near as may be to the inner edge of the underlying or entering braid.. A lateral projection on the turning-up guide enters between the upper or concealing braid and the middle braid, and, being provided with auinclined surface, it serves to raise and to uphold the edge of the former braid. This projection extends under the overlying or concealing braid beyond. the inner edge of the entering braid, so that between the edge thereof and the work-plateof the sewing-machine only the single thickness of the middle braid intervenes, while between the body of the'guide and the work-plate there is the double thickness of the middle braid and the entering braid. To accommodate the different] thicknesses and allow the turning-up guide to hear at its edge upon the single braid without exertingundue pressure upon thedoublethick- 5 ness through which the stitching is to be made, the turning-up guide is cut away or inclined on the bottom, so that the extreme edge of the guide projects below the main body thereof.

It is not new to make a turning-up guide with a lateral projection to enter between the braid; but it is a new improvement to cutaway or otherwise impart to the under side of the projection the shape indicated.

When the turned-up edge is released from the guide it tends naturally to resume its original position and to fall across the rear of the guide, and if the guideis entirely in front of the needle it is obvious that this tendency is toward bringing the outer edge under or against the needle, and to obviateit the guide must turn the braid at an angle greater than would otherwise suffice to clear it of theneedle, so as to allow for the greater or lessfall in the braid after it is released from the guide and before it has passed the needle. In the present invention this disadvantageous effect is overcome by constructing the guide so as to sustain the upturned braid behind as well as in front of the needle, and the said braid need therefore be upturned no more than required to be clear of the needle. It is obvious that the turning up could be effected wholly by a guide behind the needle. The guide or portion thereof behind the needle, by entering between the edge of the upturned braid and the needle-thread. (when the work is advanced by the feed.) prevents the thread from catching in or over the edge of said braid.

The terms. front and rear as used in this specification refer to the direction ofthe feed movement, front being the direction from which and rear the direction to which the feed moves the work. The terms inner and outer (applied tothe braids)refer to the body ()5 of the work which is usually to the left of the operator, inner being on the side of the work and outer on the opposite side.

Heretofore the turning-n1.) guide has been attached to and carried by the work-plate of I00 the sewing-machine; or it has been attached to an auxiliary presser, independent of the presser-foot proper, and supported on the workplate. In the present invention it is attached V w I 2 was.

to or carried by the presser-foot itselfof the sewing-machine, so that it is lifted with the presst-r foot, and the work being properly placed hen the foot is raised is in position for sewing when the same is lowered. Moreover, be-

ing held by the presser-foot, which bears at other points on the work, it retains its proper relation to the work and to other parts of the machine withoutundue friction upon the braid. Heretofore, also, the turning-up guide and the guide for what has been called the middle? braid have been independently supported on the work-plate. 1n the case of the turning-up guide attached to an auxiliary presser-foot, the shank of the latter is adapted to serve as a work-guide; but it cannot be adjusted independently of the turning-up guide. In the present invention the facility for adjusting the work-guide independently of the turning-up guide is retained, while at the same time the two guides are attached to a common support, (the presser-foot,) so that when once the workguide is adjusted their relative positions are not altered by raising and lowering. The attachtnent of both the turning-up and the work guide to the presser-foot is the arrangement best adapted to the ready insertion and removal of the work. The guide or guides for the entering braid are attached to and carried by the work-plate.

In order the better to adapt the presser-foot to its work, the bottom is grooved or cut away behind the turning-up guide to receive the upturned edge of the overlying or concealing braid.

As the turning-up guide need not alter its position relatively to the needle, it may be made in one piece with the presser-l'oot; but, for convenience of manufacture and to allow of renewal in case of wear or injury to the guide, it is made separate, and is attached thereto, 1611193118 adopted as most simple and convenient being to clamp the tail-piece of the guide between the presser-foot and a portion of the work-guide.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, is represented a portion of a straw-hat-sewing machine having applied thereto the several improvements which constitute the present invention.

Figure l is an end View, and Fig. 2 a front view, of the machine; Fig. 3, a section of the presser-foot and attached guides; Figs. 4. and 5, respectively, a plan and bottom view of the same; Fig. 6, a perspective view of the workguide detached Fig. 7, a similar view of the turning-up guide, and Fig. 8 a section illustrating the operation of the machine. Figs. 9 and 10 represent a modified construction of the turning-up guide and needle.

The sewing-machine represented is a Willcox 8t Gibbs sewing-machine adapted to the sewing of straw braid into hats by having applied thereto the improvements described in Letters Patent No. 218,413, dated August 12, 1879, and No. 246,700, dated September 6, 1881, granted to Charles H. lVillcoX. The

present invention may, however, be applied to other types of sewing-machines, (to lockstitch machines, for example,) or be used in part, if not in whole, in connection with other systems of guides.

A is the machine-frame; B, the cloth-plate; G, the main shaft; D, the needle and needlebar; E, the presser-bar; F, the presser-foot; G, the work-guide; H, the turning-up guide, and I K L the braid-guides or guides for the entering braid.

The machine, with the exception of the presser-foot F and the attached guides G H, is the same in construction as set forth in the aforesaid Letters Patent, and the description thereof need not be here repeated.

The work-gnideGrmakesatongue-and-groove joint with the presser-foot, to which it is held by the set-screw a and spring-washer b, and whereon it is adjusted by the lever c, (as depatents.) It is provided with a separator, M. The presser-foot is cut away in front to leave a toe, d, between which and the work-guide the turning-up guide H is placed. 011 the bottom the presser-foot is cut away at 0, so as to leave a sort of depending rib,f, at the left or side opposite the work-guide. The tail 9 of the turning-upguideis clamped between the workguide and the bottom of the presser-foot, and its thickness is such as to bring its.lower surface on a level with that of the rib, leaving between itself and the latter a groove for the upturned braid to lie in. The turning-up guide is held from lateral movement by steady-pins II, that project from the presser-foot through the holes't' in the tail of the guide. The front or operating end of the turning-up guide has immediately in front of the needle a lateral projection, 70, which is adapted to enter between the braids and turn'up the edge of the overlying one out of the path of the needle. At 1, also, the material composing the guideis cut away, leaving the guiding-surface descending from the thick portion m toward the front and side. The edge a of the lateral projection 76 is the lowest point of the guide, being on a level with the lower edge of the work-guide opposite. From said edge a the bottom rises to the right. (See Figs. 2 and 8.) The lateral projection 7c,with inclined upper surface, prefdie. It is grooved atp to aliow it to pass over the shank of the needle, when raised with the presser-font, while the needle is at its lowest point. Behind the needle is the portion q, of the same depth as the portion min front, and, except for groove 1;, forming a continuation thereof. It is narrow at the front and widens toward the rear.

Instead of grooving the turning-up guide to enable it to clear the shank of the needle, the latter may be cut away adjacent to the guide, said guide being left with a straight edge. This construction, the equivalent of the foregoing, is shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

Theoperation of the machine is as follows:

scribed in the later of the before-mentioned erably extends past and alongside of the nee- The article having been begun, the work is placed under the presser-foot, with the free edge of the braid 1' last sewed (hereinbefore called the middle braid) against the workguide G, above the separator M, and the lateral projection of the turningup guide is inserted between said braid and the next inner braid, s, (hereinbefore called the overlying braid.) The work-guide is preferably adjusted so that the needle will penetrate the braid 7' just inside the normal position of the overlying braid s; but, if desired, the seam can be made a greater distance inside the edge by adjusting the work-guide away from the needle. Ordinarily the work-guide will be separated from the needle by a distance equal to something less than half the width of the braid. The entering braid t passes under the guide K and between the guides L I, which are adjusted to allow the needle to pierce the braid at the desired distance from the edge, preferably as near the edge as possible to make a strong seam. The machine being started, the work is fed to the stitching mechanism, and the edge ofthe overlying braids beingturned up against the portions m1) of the guide, the needle penetrates the braid 1' where normally it is covered by the upturned portion of the braid, and stitches it to the entering braid t. Alter passing the turning-up guide the edge of the braid s resumes its normal position and conceals the stitches. The portion q of the guide H is from its shape not liable to catch theneedle-thread which slips over and in contact with its side when long stitches are made.

Modifications may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit ofthe invention, and portions of theinvention may be used separately. For example, the new features in the structure of the turningup guide can be used singly or all together in a guide supported on the work-plate of the sewing-machine, and,on the other hand, aturn ing-u p guide of any suitable construction may be attached to the presser-foot, or, what is equivalent, maybe attached to the presser-bar.

Having now fully described my said invention and the manner of carrying the same into efl'ect, what I claim is 1. A turning-up guide adapted to enter between the braids or layers of fabric, and having a guiding or upholding portion in the rear of the needle, substantially as described.

2. A turning-up guide adapted to enter between the braids or layers of fabric, and having guiding or upholding portions both before and behind the needle, substantially as described.

3. A turning-up guide having the bottom cut away or inclined upward from the extreme edge thereof, so as to accommodate dilferent thicknesses between the said edge and the work-plate on the one hand and the body of the guide and the work-plate on the other, substantially as described.

4. A turning-up guide having the guiding or upholding portion which enters between the braids arranged alongside of and in close proximity to the needle, and adapted by means of a groove in said guide or an equivalent construction to clear the shank of the needle when lifted, substantially as described.

5. A turning-up guide having the lateral projection which enters between the braids alongside ot' the needle, substantially as described.

6. A turning-up guide having the portion behi nd the needle narrow in front and widening gradually to the rear, substantially as described.

7. A turning-up guide carried by the presser-foot of the sewing-machine, in contradistinction to an auxiliary presser, substantially as described.

8. The turning-up guide, in combination with means for detachably securing the same ,to the presser-footproper, in contradistinction to an auxiliary presser, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with the ordinary or proper presser-foot of the sewing-machine, of the turning-up guide and the work-guide at-v tached thereto or carried thereby, substantially as described.

10. The combination, with the presser-foot cut away in front to leave a projecting toe, and the work-guide, of a turning-up guide between the said toe and the work-guide and in close proximity to the needle, substantially as described.

ll. The combination, with a turning up guide, of a presser-foot recessed or cut away on thebottom to receive the upturned edge of the braid or fabric, substantially as described.

12. The combination, with the presser-foot and work-guide attached thereto, of the turning-up guide having the tail-piece thereof clamped between the work-guide and the presser-foot, substantially as described.

13. The combination of the presser'foot, the turning-up guide attached to and carried by said foot, and the independently-adjustable work-guide, substantially as described.

14. The combination, with the presser-foot, of the turning-up guide carried by said foot, and having the edge thereof which enters between the braids projecting below the. bottom of the presser-foot, substantially as described.

15. The turning-up guide and the work-gu de carried and connected by a common support, so as to be lifted together, said work-guide being adjustable independently of the turningup guide, substantially as described.

16. The turning-up guide having guiding or upholding portions both in front and rear of the needle,in combination with the work-guide, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CHAS. E. WILKINSON. Witnesses:

CHAS. H. WILLooX, W. B. LA$SGEL L. 

